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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23931349">Taking a Chance</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elayna/pseuds/Elayna'>Elayna</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargate Atlantis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Don't copy to another site, First Kiss, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:07:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23931349</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elayna/pseuds/Elayna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>John is not happy with his current situation but thinks creatively about how to improve it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rodney McKay/John Sheppard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Taking a Chance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Theoretically, John Sheppard had been under a civilian leader all his adult life. After all, the President was the Commander-in-Chief, and since Eisenhower, they'd all been civilians. But still, listening to Woolsey lay down the law grated when John wanted to do nothing more than take control and fix the problem. He should be doing something, anything, giving orders, finding solutions, not just... sitting in his room. For most likely days and days.</p>
<p>Or perhaps only hours, who could tell? No one knew much of anything, and it was driving John crazy. Atlantis had shut down hard when Peterson and his team had come through the Gate. It was only a fluke that John and Rodney hadn't been there to welcome them. </p>
<p>"Colonel!" Woolsey's voice was sharp, as if he could see the frustration tensing John's jaw. "I have read all of Doctor Weir's reports. I do not expect a repeat performance. You will not break quarantine this time. Do you understand me?"</p>
<p>Damn him, damn him, damn him. John forced himself to take a deep breath, then another, making his shoulders relax, seeing Woolsey's expression soften over the laptop screen. The man had changed a lot since he'd started as Atlantis' leader, from pedantic bureaucrat to almost inspirational leader who could step up and play hardball with the political douches on Earth when needed. He understood John's struggle, and he respected him for it, but if John broke quarantine, he'd have John's ass a whole lot more effectively than Elizabeth ever could. "Yes, sir," John said, and he thought he didn't sound too sullen.</p>
<p>"I appreciate that the circumstances will be difficult, and I would move people around if I could, but you know Carson is advising against it."</p>
<p>"No, that's—" John shrugged, hoping he succeeded in looking nonchalant better than he had at not seeming resentful. "That's okay. We'll—cope."</p>
<p>Maybe they could do a lot better than coping. It would be a risk, but it was one that John had been contemplating for years, and if it paid off—it would be a risk very much worth taking. Did he dare? It would certainly occupy his mind in a much better way than fretting over a situation outside of his control. </p>
<p>"You know the schedule—"</p>
<p>"Yeah, yeah," John interrupted. Woolsey had insisted on hours and hours of incredibly dull contingency planning when he'd taken over Atlantis, but that mind-numbing boredom had paid off. The man had been delighted to pull out his pandemic plan, make a few minor revisions, and route it to everyone, emphasizing the schedule on when and how deliveries would be made, the full hazmat suits for the deliverers, etc. The quarantined people were not to even open their doors until after the deliverer had signaled that they were out of sight, which actually suited John fine, now that he had gotten over pouting and was thinking of how to use this time effectively. As long as they were stuck here—"We got it."</p>
<p>"You did remember—" Rodney started to speak from his spot, lounging on John's bed, still with his damned boots on, but Woolsey interrupted him.</p>
<p>"Yes, Rodney, your laptop, and coffee stash, and coffee maker will be collected and delivered to you in a few hours."</p>
<p>"Thank you," Rodney said, as John scooted his desk chair over to the bed, batting at Rodney's boots.</p>
<p>"Boots off the bed."</p>
<p>"Yes, well, I'll leave you two to it," Woolsey said hastily, shutting down.</p>
<p>John scooted his chair back to his desk, closing his laptop. No need to let someone accidentally activate the link. Carson or Lorne might think it was okay, to pop in and check on how badly the two were fighting, but that was not at all how John was contemplating raising their blood pressures. "You're handling this okay."</p>
<p>"It's medicine, not science. My minions are ready to run any tests or scenarios that Carson needs, and for all that he's a practitioner of voodoo, he is the best practitioner in this galaxy. And at least this time, I have not been exposed. I feel fine and am not in danger of the imminent explosion of my incredibly valuable head." Rodney swung his legs to one side, so that his feet were dangling off the bed, and laced his fingers behind his valuable head, elbows spread wide, closing his eyes. "I shall take a nap until my laptop arrives. I realize being cooped up may be absolutely intolerable for you, Colonel, but I will finally have a break to read—"</p>
<p>"Yeah?" John took the few steps between desk and bed, dropping to his knees, beginning to unlace one of Rodney's boots. Yeah, this was it. This was the time. If he couldn't do anything useful, he could at least do what he'd wanted since he first saw Rodney in orange fleece. "You want to read?"</p>
<p>Rodney propped himself up on his elbows, staring down at John. "My boots are off the bed."</p>
<p>For the smartest man in two galaxies, sometimes Rodney needed a clue. John didn't say anything, just gave him a look, the kind of look that should make words unnecessary. Being a closeted gay man in the military before the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, he'd practiced that look. He knew it conveyed what he couldn't say. He slowly pulled off one boot and the sock, keeping the intense eye contact, circling Rodney's ankle with his fingers, before caressing up his shin, feeling the softness of Rodney's skin, the crispness of his leg hair, the firmness of his calf muscle.</p>
<p>"You hated being quarantined on Midway. You locked yourself in the puddle jumper."</p>
<p>Dense, seriously dense, but at least from the bulge forming under the fly of Rodney's trousers, he was quickly getting with the program. "I couldn't have locked you in with me," John said. The jumper's facilities were limited and people were right outside, they would have known. But here, in his own room, with a supply of lube, a convenient shower, and no unexpected interruptions, John and Rodney could satisfy every fantasy John had contemplated for years. </p>
<p>Except the ones involving the puddle jumper. Those would have to wait. </p>
<p>"You—you—" Rodney yanked at John's t-shirt, and though he hadn't taken off Rodney's second boot, he let himself be pulled into an embrace, his thighs naturally cradling Rodney's hips in between them, as Rodney's lips met his. So many times he'd wondered, what would Rodney be like as a kisser, a lover? Voracious and greedy wasn't a surprise; skilled was perhaps a bit more.</p>
<p>John found himself twisted, his back on the bed, pinned underneath Rodney's body, the other man—his lover—gazing at him with amazement and the charming hesitancy he could display. "Seriously?" Rodney asked. "You want this? Me?"</p>
<p>"Yes," John answered firmly. He'd never been good with words, but yes was easy enough to say.</p>
<p>Rodney's pleased, "Oh" was soft, but his lips and hands were not, as he sealed their mouths together, one hand cupping the back of John's head, keeping him in place, his other hand sliding under John's t-shirt and pushing it up, finding and rubbing John's nipple. And fuck, those fingers knew what to do, because John felt that touch all the way down to his dick.</p>
<p>John moaned into Rodney's lips, his hands cupping and squeezing that delectable ass that he discreetly ogled at every opportunity. Rodney was not only on board with the program, he was taking over, and John loved it, loved being pinned down and kissed into submission. This time... yeah, this time quarantine was going to be excellent.</p>
<p>~ the end ~</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I woke up Tuesday, thinking I should write something fun and fannish and short, but I can't get away from the damned virus! So I hope folks have enjoyed my thoughts on how John and Rodney might cope with a quarantine. </p>
<p>It actually started in my mind as an established relationship, and John was thinking about toys he'd bought as presents the last time he was on Earth, and that it was time to break them out and have early birthday and Christmas celebrations. But then it switched while writing to first-time, as these things often do for me.   </p>
<p>Stay safe, stay healthy! Stay at home and wallow in fanfic. 😊</p></blockquote></div></div>
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